Ukraine, as part of the European agricultural landscape, has a unique opportunity not just to join the new agricultural policy, but to become a leader in transformations in Eastern Europe.
This opinion was expressed by Viktoria Nahirnyak, head of the social compliance and sustainable practices expertise group at MHP.
According to her, "a smart combination of our potential, modern practices, environmental conservation, and social responsibility can not only increase competitiveness but also become a new model for countries in the region."
Independent expert Vladyslav Sedyk, in turn, emphasized that the EU has finally realized that overregulation of farming within the framework of green initiatives has made it unprofitable. However, a sustainable approach, on the contrary, can be a competitive advantage. And Ukraine has every chance of outpacing Europe in implementing modern solutions and becoming a model for its European counterparts.
"Thanks to the lower level of state regulation in the industry, Ukraine has an advantage in implementing modern solutions. However, for now, Ukrainian agricultural producers remain unclear about which initiatives will be changed in the revision of the Green Deal. We are integrating into the European community and must maintain a balance so as not to implement what the Europeans will abandon. Therefore, we have the opportunity to learn from others' mistakes," he adds.
With the right approach focused on innovation, European agriculture can create a sustainable food system for the future, notes Petra Laux, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Sustainable Development and Corporate Affairs at Syngenta Group.
In her belief, three key areas need to be focused on so that farmers can access a diverse and effective set of tools to meet the dual challenge of increasing productivity while improving environmental outcomes.
These are biocontrol, specifically the need for special legislation in the EU to accelerate the approval of biological products for pest and disease control, as well as new genomic techniques that can more quickly provide farmers with high-yielding varieties and hybrids resistant to climate change, shortening breeding cycles from 10 years to just a few.
"And digitalization of agriculture. Technologies like CROPWISE are transforming agriculture with AI, remote monitoring, and data analytics, enabling more precise and sustainable farming methods," concludes Petra Laux.
